


Note-vember 2018

by SpaceLord



Category: Dungeons & Dragons (Roleplaying Game), Original Work
Genre: Gen, Worldbuilding, an attempt at poetry in the first chapter, don't worry it's just the one
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-21
Updated: 2018-12-21
Packaged: 2019-09-23 22:27:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 1,613
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17088908
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SpaceLord/pseuds/SpaceLord
Summary: A small collection of some pieces I wrote for Note-vember this year. Most of them related to my homebrew D&D setting, and these are the ones I could actually post without spoiling things for my players.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Poetry is not my strong suit, so naturally I decided to have a go at it on day one.
> 
> I gave myself prompts just for fun. This one was Symmetry and Mythology.

The twin gods of the heavens

To the mundane world bestow

Archons as beacons for us to flock

The chosen few who inspire

Unwavering loyalty from their followers

The chosen few who inspire

Archons as beacons for us to flock

To the mundane world bestow

The twin gods of the heavens


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompts for this were Spirit and Epistolary.

… a sight to behold. So when I heard that the Archon of Spirits himself was in the city, performing his famous feats of necromancy, I had to see it for myself.

And my, the stories did not lie!

First, the man himself, Vale Morn: quite a stark difference from the strong halfing population here. A dragonborn of all things! I’ve only met a few before and it is staggering to be in the presence of one. Morn claimed to have once had brilliantly gold scales-- now they’ve lost all their color and luster, becoming almost translucent. He looks none to different from the beings he conjures.

I won’t make you wait any longer my dear friend. I know you are at the edge of your seat, wondering if Morn’s abilities are as powerful as they say. There are no words to aptly describe the magnitude of what he can do. I watched no less than three times as he called upon the departed, plucked their spirits from the afterlife, and had them manifest before my very eyes.   
And these were not the mindless ghosts that we have encountered before. These creatures-- no, these people were coherent of their situation! Morn could have conversations with them! Think of the possibilities if we could develop magic that could mimic his power!

_(excerpt of letter from an unknown sender to colleague at the Lyortian Consortium)_


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is my first stab at the backstory of my firbolg druid. Hopefully I'll get to play her one day!
> 
> Prompt for this was Ancient.

Parts of the forest are best left alone. Even her clan, the sworn protectors of the forest, dare not tread in the spots where the temperature drops and the stench of rot hangs in the air. Something else stalks those woods. It has the instincts and inhibitions of a wild animal, but there’s a cunning intelligence behind it all. No one in the clan knows how old it is, only that it was here long before them. And so they respect its space and don’t intrude upon its territory.

At least, all but one.

She kneels down in a clearing and waits. The offering of songbirds she brought along perch upon her shoulders and head, their chirps having gone silent quite a while ago. When the beast approaches, it makes no sound; it is simply there.

 

> L I T T L E  O N E ,  W H Y  H A V E  Y O U  C O M E  H E R E ?

 

The voice doesn’t come from the large shape at the edge of the clearing. Rather, it seems to reverberate within her.

“I brought you a gift,” she says. She urges the birds to take flight and go to their new home. The small forms vanish beyond her sight towards the large shape. There are a few moments of rustling before all is quiet again.

 

> T H E S E  W I L L  F I T  I N  N I C E L Y  H E R E . I  D O  G E T  E V E R  S O  L O N E L Y .  
> 
> B U T  Y O U  D I D  N O T  S E E K  M E  O U T  J U S T  T O  S H O W E R  M E  W I T H  G I F T S.

 

“No,” she says carefully. “I want to learn from you. You’ve been here longer than we have, longer than the animals, longer even than the trees. There’s only so much they can teach me of the druidic arts.” She lifts her head, staring at the shape in the trees, her eyes burning with fervor. “But you could teach me more.”

When she blinks again, the shape is gone. And then she feels a looming presence appear just behind her. She continues to stare ahead.

 

> T H I S  I S  T R U E .  I  C A N  T E A C H  Y O U .   B U T  I  S H A L L  W A R N  Y O U ,  L I T T L E 
> 
> O N E .  M O R T A L  F L E S H  I S  F R A G I L E .  Y O U  M A Y  N O T  S U R V I V E  T H E  
> 
> C H A N G E .

 

That was all the warning she gets before she feels a sharpened claw touch her spine.

And she screams.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Astrolago's 5e supplement _Faerie Fire_ has a really cool subclass option for druids called Circle of Rue. It has a more sinister vibe to it than the stereotypical druid, and I was drawn to that. It also just has a ton of fey creatures and even a whole fey court, along with subclasses for warlocks and monks, a few new racial options, and a small adventure in the Fey Wilds. It's definitely a worthwhile buy if you're into that kinda stuff!


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt for this was Trinket. No, not that Trinket.

Kana gnawed on her lip while bouncing on the balls of her feet. She was anxious. With good reason, but she shouldn’t be so obvious about it. If the shop owner questioned her behavior, she’d just have to play it off as something else.

Right now though, he was far too engrossed in examining the item she’d brought it to sell. It looked like a pretty jewel, and that alone could potentially get her a fair amount of gold, but she wanted someone familiar with magic to see if it had any special abilities. So far, the man’s reactions weren’t too promising.

Great. Had she gone to the trouble of stealing it for nothing?

“Well,” the shopkeeper started, snapping Kana out of her thoughts immediately. “Doesn’t look like there’s anything particularly special about it. No magic, that is. And to be quite frank… it’s not a precious stone of any sort.”

“What?!” Kana’s cry of anguish was all but ignored as the man calmly wrapped the stone back up in the packaging it’d come in. “But-- well, how much is it worth then?”

He shrugged. “I could give you five silver.”

Kana cursed under her breath and resisted the urge to grab the useless rock and chuck it. She’d probably just break something and have to pay for damages. “Fine! Five silver.”

After the transaction was made, she slipped out of the shop and into the shadows. Though part of her doubted that the Master would care about something so worthless, another part of her knew he’d be after her just because she’d stolen _anything_ from him. She glanced over her shoulder to make sure none of his goons were tailing her.

And walked into something solid.

“Hullo Miss Kana.”

Scratch that, some _one_ solid. With a gulp, Kana took a step back to get a better look at who it was. A large, stocky figure in dark clothes and with grey-ish blue skin blocked her path. Their expression was far too cheerful and their posture much too casual for someone sporting a sledgehammer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sure she's fine.
> 
> Next chapter is a continuation of this!


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Continuation of the last chapter.
> 
> Prompt for this was Crooked.

A small bell rang out to signal that a customer had approached the counter and was waiting to be assisted. With a strained groan, Corwin gently set down the heavy box he’d been in the process of relocating. He really should wait until one of his employees was in rather than try and do it by himself. But with no customers for the better part of an hour, he’d had to find something to do to fill the time with. 

He emerged from the back room, plastering on a welcoming smile and clapping his hands together. “Ah, hello and welcome! So sorry to keep you waiting, I-- I…” 

The smile slipped once Corwin got a look at just who had paid his shop a visit. Two large figures, at least 8 feet tall each, stood in front of the counter. They had to hunch their shoulders so they could stand without their heads hitting the ceiling. Both wore dark clothing that was likely meant to help them blend in more and obscure their features. But one didn’t need to see them clearly to immediately know who they were. He’d heard tale of these two before; but that’s it, they were just _stories_. Something to scare people, not actually real. 

“Hullo there Mr. Galbury,” the one on the right rumbled in a gravelly voice. “My associate and I are here to discuss the item that Miss Kana just dropped off with you.”

Corwin’s face paled. His throat dried and sweat began to gather on the back of his neck. There was no point in questioning how they knew about that. “I-- I-- ah, yes?”

The other one leaned against the counter, the much-too-small structure creaking under their weight. “You see, Miss Kana stole the item in question. It wasn’t hers to sell, and the Master would very much like it back.”

Shit, shit, _shit_. This wasn’t the kind of business Corwin wanted to get involved with. His pawn shop was for honest people, not would be thieves or black market dealings. And now he was on the Master’s radar?

“Of course, of course.” He fumbled with the keys in his pocket and his hand shook as he unlocked one of the drawers behind the counter. A neatly wrapped package about the size of his fist was taken from the drawer and placed on the countertop. “Well, here it is then.”

A hand that could most likely crush Corwin’s head with ease plucked the package off the counter and stowed it away in a coat pocket. “Good. The Master will be very pleased to hear of your cooperation.”

“Very pleased indeed,” said the one on the right. “We’ll be in touch.” And with that, the two lumbered out the door and left Corwin to his horrified realization that he’d gotten involved in something far beyond him without even meaning to.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well those two seem nice. Any fans of Fallen London are sure to see where inspiration for them came from.
> 
> And that's it folks! If you read all this, then thanks! Might be writing and posting some more stuff about this setting in the future, but we'll see what happens.
> 
> I'm hoping to just post more stuff here in general, though :)


End file.
